Africa's greatest star, Didier Drogba, didn't single-handedly end his country's civil war, but such is the respect he commands that when he called for Ivorians to look beyond what divided them, the people listened

While You Were Lost

Imagine that you crash-landed on a deserted island on Sept. 22, 2004, but that you survived and only returned to civilization this week. When it comes to sports, you'd have a whole lot of catch-up ball to play. Such a scenario would face the characters of ABC's Lost, whose immensely anticipated finale airs this Sunday (9 p.m. EST). For instance: Since Oceanic 815 crashed, almost 28,000 regular-season games have been played in the four major American sports leagues. In honor of Lost writers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof—both big-time baseball fans—and Sunday's series finale, here's a look at sports through the eyes of an islander.

In season one, Jack (Matthew Fox, below) and his father invoked the mantra, "That's why the Red Sox will never win the World Series." Two seasons later Jack witnessed footage of the Curse's demise—a clue that free will versus fate would be a theme throughout the series. Full disclosure: Writer Carlton Cuse is a Sox fan. But what if he hadn't been? Here, a few hindsight-aided rewrites: "That's why Brett Favre will never leave Green Bay." "That's why Peyton will never win a Super Bowl—and his little brother? Oy." "That's why O.J. will never go to jail."

The rise and fall—and rise and fall—of the most polarizing people on and off the island

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